Prince William andKate Middleton visited the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London on Wednesday.- Prince William said that witnessing war in Europe feels "alien."
The Duke of Cambridge said witnessing war in Europe feels "alien" and "unfathomable."
Prince William commented on Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London on Wednesday.
"Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. It's really horrifying. The news every day, it's just, it's almost unfathomable. For our generation, it's very alien to see this in Europe. We're all right behind you. We're thinking about you. We feel so useless," William said, according to Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard.
PA media and other outlets mistakenly reported William as saying that British people were more used to seeing war in Asia and Africa. Richard Palmer, the Royal Rota reporter who is said to have given PA the paraphrased quote, has apologized on Twitter.
—Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) March 10, 2022
The misquoted comments received criticism online before the retraction was made.
Royal author Omid Scobie, who wrote on Twitter that the duke's comments weren't factually correct.
"Europe has seen some of the bloodiest conflict in the past two centuries —Balkans, Yugoslavia, Germany and Kosovo to name a few. But sure, let's normalize war and death in Africa and Asia," he wrote.
During the visit, William and Kate Middleton wore Ukrainian yellow and blue solidarity badges and delivered trays of chocolate brownies and granola bars for the volunteers, The Independent reports.
They also offered the services of their charitable foundation for any young people affected by the war who may need assistance with their mental health, the publication added.
Kensington Palace declined to comment when contacted by Insider.